Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A senior adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has openly accused Iran of orchestrating deliberate security breaches, widespread drug smuggling, and illicit financial flows across the border, marking a rare and pointed public rebuke from within Baghdad’s executive circle as Iraq shuttered key commercial crossing points.
Speaking to domestic media, prime ministerial adviser Abdelamir Taiban stated that Tehran has actively undermined Iraqi internal stability by allowing unauthorized, affiliated networks to bypass border protocols, inciting borderland disorder.
Taiban noted that Iraqi nationals have faced abductions after entering Iranian territory, identifying the areas surrounding the Shalamcheh terminal in Basra and the Al-Sheeb terminal in Maysan as high-risk corridors. He urged the federal government to aggressively scale electronic monitoring and comprehensive automation across every operational terminal along the shared 1,599-kilometer frontier.
The adviser characterized the inbound traffic of narcotics and counterfeit currency as the most damaging economic threat facing the nation, asserting that the resulting market sabotage has inflicted financial disruption outpacing the economic fallout previously caused by ISIS.
The remarks follow the indefinite closure of the Al-Sheeb port of entry in Maysan governorate to both travelers and commercial cargo—a measure following the precautionary shutdown of Shalamcheh in September amid regional drone incidents—which prompted demonstrations by local transport operators and cross-border truckers concerned over disrupted trade in fresh produce and construction materials.
In response, Prime Minister Al-Zaidi convened the Ministerial Council for National Security, ordering security units to safeguard peaceful assemblies while maintaining stringent checks to intercept illicit trafficking channels.
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